Commercial aviation was safer in 2023 than in any previous year. According to a leading air safety expert, last year set a new record for the fewest accidents and deaths. Only two fatal accidents occurred during the 12 months, compared with six in 2022. In both crashes, propeller aircraft came down on domestic flights, with a total of 86 deaths – fewer than half the 178 fatalities in 2023. For comparison, 148 people die in the average hour on the world’s roads according to the latest UN figures. No fatal aircraft accidents involved international flights or passenger jets. In a civil aviation safety review for the Dutch air-safety organisation To70, senior aviation consultant Adrian Young writes: “Both the number of accidents and fatalities are at a record low.” The fatal accident rate was less than one in 15m flights – three times better than the 10-year average. The first and deadliest crash was in Nepal on 15 January 2023. An ATR-72 belonging to Yeti Airlines took off and flew normally from Kathmandu to Pokhara, but plunged into a gorge one mile short of the runway. The subsequent investigation found that high workload and stress on the flight deck was responsible. Young says the accident report revealed the pilots’ actions resulted in “the feathering of both propellers and subsequent loss of thrust, leading to an aerodynamic stall”. The second fatal accident was in Brazil on 16 September 2023, when an Embraer 110 belonging to Manaus Airlines crashed on a flight from the Amazonian city to Barcelos during bad weather. All 14 passengers and crew died. The safety of jet aircraft repeats the unlikely success of 2017, according to Young. “As the new year dawns and we look back across 2023, civil aviation finds itself in a similar position to 2017 with no fatal accidents to large turbofan powered, passenger aeroplanes in commercial service,” he writes. This category encompasses everything from commuter jets of the type used at London City airport to the Airbus A380 “SuperJumbo”.<br/>
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Access to a busy terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport was restricted Monday as pro-Palestinian protesters converged on the airport for the second time in a week. Videos posted online show heavy traffic and a slow-moving line of cars, some flying Palestinian flags and featuring text on the windows such as “Stop the genocide.” Police directed a line of cars around a checkpoint. Protesters also had planned to arrive at the airport in Queens, New York, by public transportation. The New Year's Day action was the latest in a series of protests around the nation calling for a cease-fire since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7. Last Wednesday, activists brought traffic to a standstill on an expressway leading up to JFK for about 20 minutes. Protesters shut down a major thoroughfare leading to the Los Angeles International Airport on the same day. Entry into JFK's Terminal 4 was temporarily restricted Monday afternoon to ticketed passengers, employees and people with what authorities consider a valid reason to be there, such as passenger pickups, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the region's airports. Similarly, AirTrain access was temporarily restricted to ticketed passengers and employees.<br/>
It has happened to the best of us. The last-minute racking of brains on arrival in the UK to try to remember where the passports were packed, followed by the panicked fumbling all the way to the bottom of every compartment of every bag. That may all be in the past though, should plans reportedly proposed by the government’s borders agency go ahead, with the need to present the document on arrival in the UK being replaced by facial recognition technology. Phil Douglas, the director general of Border Force, said he had been “really impressed” by e-gate schemes in Australia and Dubai. “I had to apply for an electronic travel authorisation in advance and used my smartphone to read the chip in my passport. That sent the image of me in the chip to the Australian authorities. When I arrived in Australia, I didn’t even have to get my passport out of my bag. It is a really interesting concept,” he told the Times. The paper reported that he said he wanted to create an “intelligent border” that used “much more frictionless facial recognition than we currently do”. According to the Times, trials are expected to begin at airports this year, with a procurement process for the hardware needed to introduce the system across the country due to follow if it succeeds. Douglas has been touting the potential benefits of biometrics and data security in managing the UK’s borders in recent months. In February 2023, he suggested the paper passport was becoming largely redundant – even as some celebrated the post-Brexit return of the blue document.<br/> He told an audience at the Airport Operators Association conference in London at the time: “I’d like to see a world of completely frictionless borders where you don’t really need a passport. The technology already exists to support that.” Douglas added: “In the future, you won’t need a passport – you’ll just need biometrics.” The Times reported that biometric details of British and Irish travellers were already held after being obtained in the passport application process. Speaking to the paper, Douglas said: “We will know a lot more information about people upfront. We will know if they’ve been in the UK before. We’ll know what their compliance with immigration laws is. And we’ll know if there’s any records of them on our security systems. So there will be some people who won’t be getting on the plane.” According to polling carried out by the IATA in 2022, 75% of passengers worldwide would be happy to ditch passports for biometrics.<br/>
Kenya’s visa waiver for all foreigners has been hailed as a bold move that other countries should embrace to spur liberalisation of the African airspace, with the ripple effect of increased travel, but industry experts caution that the sector still grapples with safety targets, Fifth Freedom controls and taxes, which are even a bigger impediments to lowering of ticket prices. “It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya,” said President William Ruto on December 12, 2023. The visa waiver – effective January 2024 – is consistent with President Ruto’s call since he assumed Kenya’s presidency in September 2022, to other African leaders to remove impediments to free movement of people, to facilitate ease of travel and doing business on the continent. The move by Kenya – and Rwanda which also dropped visa requirements for African travellers – is a boon for intra-Africa connectivity that aviation experts and reformers have been pushing for decades, to drive down the price of tickets. “Lifting of visa requirements by Rwanda and Kenya in the region should be lauded as a positive move towards reducing fares,” says Adikiny H. Olwenge, an air transport and aviation expert at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).<br/>
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has warned of expected delays on Airport Road on Tuesday, January 2. This will affect traffic around Terminal 1 and 3 at Dubai International Airport. Coinciding with the end of the New Year holiday, the busiest time is expected to be from 4am to 10am on Tuesday. Commuters have been urged to plan trips and depart early, or use alternative routes. It comes after several routes in Downtown Dubai, including Al Asayel Street, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard and Burj Khalifa Street, reopened following the fireworks display at Burj Khalifa on New Year’s Eve.<br/>Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest in the world. Last year, it retained its position as the world's number one airport for international passenger traffic for the ninth consecutive time. Last year, 66m travellers used the airport, an increase on pre-pandemic levels, as Dubai International exceeded 64.5m in 2019.<br/>
The 2024 edition of the Arab Aviation Summit (AAS), the region’s leading aviation and tourism industry event, will be held in Ras Al Khaimah from February 27 to 28 under the theme, ‘Exploring The Future of Travel’. In its 11th edition, the annual summit, hosted in collaboration with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), aims to catalyse global change, drive innovation, investment, sustainability, and enhance passenger experiences in the industry, said a statement. Industry leaders, policymakers, experts, and innovators will converge at AAS to share knowledge, forge partnerships, and set new benchmarks to shape the future of the regional and global aviation and travel industry. Innovative insights will be offered on the digital revolution reshaping the sector with a focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in aviation and tourism. Showcasing the industry's commitment to a greener future, discussions will also revolve around ESG considerations, reducing carbon emissions, and the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Featuring a line-up of interactive panel discussions and inspiring keynote addresses in addition to various workshops and exhibitions, the annual summit promises to redefine the concepts of destinations and passenger experiences as industry leaders discuss evolving consumer expectations and how businesses can adapt, alongside actionable strategies to nurture talent and leadership in a rapidly changing environment, the statement said.<br/>
Japanese domestic airlines have canceled services to and from airports in the areas affected by Monday's magnitude 7.6 earthquake. At 6:00 pm Monday, All Nippon Airways said it had canceled 15 flights. Japan Airlines said it canceled nine. The airlines are asking people to check the latest flight information on their websites.<br/>
The Airports Authority of India has finalised long-term master plans for 91 airports in the country, with focus on seamless movement of passengers and future expansion. “Meticulously developed to ensure that expansion of our airports aligns seamlessly with growth and these plans eliminate any bottlenecks arising from land constraints during future expansions,” said Airports Authority of India Chairman Sanjeev Kumar in a new year message to the organisation. An airport master plan provides a framework and layout for short, medium as well as long-term planning spanning more than 20 years, keeping in mind the future needs for capacity expansion. According to the Airports Authority of India, it manages a total of 129 Airports, which include 23 international airports, 98 domestic airports and 25 civil enclaves at defense airfields and eight customs airports. “These master plans of AAI airports are the result of consistent efforts of large number of officers, engineers & technocrats over a considerable period,” said Kumar. Kumar further stated that as part of ongoing efforts to enhance capacity of airports to meet increasing passenger demand and smooth operations, the authority has devised comprehensive plans to decongest 70 airports including major airports such as Kolkata and Chennai Airports, through measures such as additional check-in and immigration counters and entry gates as well through adjustment of flights during peaks hours. With respect to the development of greenfield airports, Kumar outlined that plans are being developed for new airports at Dolo in Assam’s Silchar city and in Kota in Rajasthan. Upgradation of airports in Rewa, Datia, Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Sholapur in Maharashtra is being undertaken, while five airports in Uttar Pradesh are being operationalised again and licenses for Moradabad, Azamgarh and Aligarh have been received.<br/>
Investigations into the Legend Airlines flight that was headed to Nicaragua with 303 Indians on board have strengthened suspicions that the passengers were attempting to migrate illegally to the United States, reflecting a growing trend of illegal migration from India to the US via South and Central America. The Airbus A340, operated by the Romanian charter airline, had taken off from Dubai on Dec 21. It was forced to return to Mumbai on Dec 26 with 276 of its passengers following four days of detention over suspected human trafficking allegations in Vatry in France. It had stopped at the Vatry airport for refuelling en route to Nicaragua. Twenty-five of the original 303 passengers stayed back, seeking asylum in France, and another two were held for further questioning. They have since been released after the authorities were convinced the passengers had boarded the flight of their own free will. The vast majority of the 276 passengers who returned are from the states of Gujarat and Punjab, which are key sources of Indian migrants attempting to settle abroad. Sanjay Kharat, a senior official with the Gujarat police, told The Straits Times that 66 of the passengers are from Gujarat. Most of them are men aged between 20 and 35, potentially looking for better living opportunities in the US. Many were engaged in farming and animal husbandry while some were fresh graduates. “All people on board going to the same place with the same purpose of tourism – it is not digestible as such,” said Kharat, claiming the passengers had agreed to pay amounts ranging from 4m rupees (S$63,300) to 12.5m rupees to agents for facilitating their arrival in the US. Over 40 of the passengers – individuals with “social or economic profiles of those who typically do not go to Dubai or Nicaragua for tourism” – have been interrogated. The authorities are now seeking further details on their travel and trying to track down the agents involved.<br/>
Hong Kong Airlines, one of the major Hong Kong-based local carriers, and Cathay Pacific Airways, another Hong Kong airline, said they would continue to expand their flight networks connecting Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland as passenger demand in the region is growing. After three exceptionally challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong Airlines said its operations returned to normal in 2023. In the Chinese mainland, flights to eight cities (totaling 10 airports) were resumed last year. After China optimized its COVID-19 response measures, the number of outstanding talent and students from the Chinese mainland in Hong Kong reached a new high in 2023.Trade and government exchanges have increased. Hong Kong Airlines said it expects travel demand to grow continuously. In 2023, the airline added more flights connecting Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. The frequencies of its flights connecting Hong Kong with airports like Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai Hongqiao, Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and Nanjing in Jiangsu province have rebounded to the pre-pandemic levels. The airline anticipated its average passenger load factor to rebound to 85% in 2023, as full-year data for last year are yet to be finalized. Elsewhere, the IATA announced strengthened profitability projections for airlines in 2023. The industry is expected to largely stabilize this year. Combined net profit is expected to reach $25.7b, a slight improvement over the projected 2023 profit of $23.3b.<br/>
China has simplified entry rules for US citizens visiting the country on tourist visas. Starting January 1, tourist visa applicants in the U.S. will no longer be required to submit proof of round-trip air tickets, hotel reservations, itinerary or invitation letter. The Chinese ambassador to the US wrote on X: “More good news for travelers to China: starting from January 1, 2024, our Embassy and Consulates-General in the US will simplify application documents required for tourist visa.” This is expected, “to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and the U.S.,” according to the website for the Chinese embassy in Washington.<br/>
Up to nine new airlines are preparing to launch in 2024 as Thailand’s tourism industry is expected to boom. The Thai government has set a target of 40m foreign tourists in 2024, a substantial increase from the 27m who came in 2023. Confident that the country’s tourism industry is nearly recovered from the plunge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government is pointing to an easing of travel restrictions and the re-opening of international borders. The nine new airlines are:<br/>1. Asian Aerospace Service<br/>2. Siam Seaplane<br/>3. Really Cool Air<br/>4. Avanti Air Sarter<br/>5. Landarch Airlines<br/>6. Bangkok Helicopter Services<br/>7. Pattaya Airways<br/>8. Asia Atlantic Airlines<br/>9. P80 air<br/>Though some will focus on regional and domestic routes or have limited passenger seating, these nine new airlines are expected to add capacity to the Thai aviation market and to help boost tourism. Some of the new airlines may also operate international flights. The government is providing financial assistance to help get the airlines get off the ground as it expects the new entries to create jobs and stimulate economic growth. In 2023, some 100m passengers passed through the airports.<br/>
The airplane seat recline button – so controversial that it inspired an entire micro-industry of devices to stop the passenger in front leaning into your space. At one point in time all economy class airline seats had built-in recline. Today, there are entire seat models that simply don’t have the option. So what happened to make reclining seats disappear in some places? And is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Just because a passenger can recline their seat, should they? As with so much in the airline business, it depends on who you ask. At its most basic, there’s a mechanism hidden in the structure underneath your seat cushion that contains a pivot, the wires connecting it to the button on your armrest, and a pneumatic canister that returns the seat to an upright position. Seatmakers call this kinematics: the parts that move. For airlines, this represents a cost, firstly from maintenance: any kind of mechanism is prone to breaking, whether from normal wear and tear or because passengers don’t treat airplanes gently. Secondly, it’s a weight cost, because these mechanisms can quickly add up. Most modern and lightweight airplane seats are somewhere between seven and 10 kilograms (15-22 pounds) per passenger today. Any weight that can be saved means reducing the fuel needed to carry it. And thirdly – and in some ways most importantly – it’s a disruption cost, because if passengers are fighting with each other over seat reclining etiquette, then flight attendants have to play schoolyard monitor. In some cases, passengers got so disruptive that flights have even diverted for safety.<br/>